Ride-hailing and delivery platform Grab partnered with the Philippines’ Department of Agriculture (DA) to aid local farmers. Starting this month, Grab is providing on-demand delivery for the eKadiwa online marketplace: a government initiative selling fresh produce on farmers’ behalf. The scheme, delivering goods directly to consumers, ensures that the public pays reasonable prices for food and that farmers are compensated fairly for their labor. eKadiwa is also ideal for consumers who seek to avoid local (and potentially crowded) markets and grocery stores. The service is available for customers in Manila.
This partnership isn’t a win-win situation. It’s a win-win-win, as it taps into the needs of three groups at once. Grab and the DA are helping consumers get the fresh goods they need without risking contamination. They’re providing work for Grab’s drivers, as gig economy workers across Asia struggle and, of course, for local farmers. A challenge for you? See how many groups you can serve with a single initiative!
Here’s another key consideration. Grab is lending its delivery speed to a sector that (to put it mildly) is generally not praised for its speed: the government. And in turn, it’s helping the DA move quickly and effectively during this trying time. So if your organization is ahead of the innovation curve, or currently testing out a useful (pandemic-relevant!) tool, figure out how you might be able to aid the public sector. Need more inspiration? See how ride-hailing platform Ola is opening its real-time tracking capabilities to the Indian government, or how one of Boston Dynamics’ early adopters — the government of Singapore — is deploying the firm’s robot dogs to enforce social distancing.
Now is the time to make an impact. How can you work hand-in-hand to help the groups delivering essential, public services right now?
Stay healthy,
The TrendWatching content team
